Shira Banki, age 16, has died after being stabbed by Yishai Shlissel at Jerusalem’s Pride parade a few days ago.

Shlissel stabbed six people at the parade, just after finishing a ten-year jail sentence for committing a similar act of terrorism at another Jerusalem LGBT event ten years ago.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent his condolences to Shira Banki’s family, after she succumbed to her wounds as a result of Thursday’s pride parade stabbing attack.

Netanyahu said: “Shira was killed because she bravely supported the ideal that any and everyone should be free to live their lives safely and with dignity. We will not allow the despicable murderer to shake our core values, on which Israeli society depends. We must expel any attempt to incite hatred and violence within our society, and we will act in order to find justice with the murder.”

Devastated. There are no words for the grief we’re feeling right now. We need time to mourn, and then we need strength to fight. We cannot let this happen ever again, anywhere in the world.

“We can no longer remain silent because the knife is raised against the neck of the entire LGBTI community, my community. It will not stop there. This is the time to fight the great darkness.”

—
Itzik Shmuli, a politician in Israel, came out as a member of the LGBTI community in a column following the tragic stabbing of six people, one of whom has died, at Jerusalem’s Pride march. (via Gay Star News)

Rumor: Final Fantasy XII HD announced at Distant Worlds

At Distant Worlds currently in progress in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, orchestra conductor Arnie Roth reportedly confirmed that a “Final Fantasy XII HD Remake” is currently in development. There has been no confirmation from Square Enix on this announcement as of yet.

Update 2: An anonymous user has told us that Arnie Roth & Hitoshi Sakimoto upon being asked at the meet and greet said “they really couldn’t discuss FFXII” but Arnie said it was happening. Confirmed by Twitter user Zerglinator.

El Bernabéu is ready for the 2015-16 season | August 2, 2015- The stadium laid down the new turf upon which next season’s games will be played.

“All in all, 8,500 metre of grass from Milan has been used, divided into 23 sods which have been laid in stages in less than 48 hours. The type of grass that has been installed is hybrid, with an artificial base over which grass grows in a natural way, a technique pioneered on Spanish soil. It has a high resistance to wear and tear, avoiding uneven support for players and it has much-improved drainage.”

Paul Burgess, the man in charge of maintaining the Real Madrid football pitches explained the change at the Whites’ stadium: “A change of grass is always complicated. It depends on transport, on if it has been well seeded and cultivated at origin, if it is has been installed properly… But I have a lot of confidence that we can have a great surface for the next season. The plan is that it’ll be like playing all our matches on a carpet”.

Pre-order Flip-Side: Real and Imaginary Conversations with Lana Del Rey written by David Shields and James Franco on Penguin Random House or Amazon. The 100-page book will be released on March 15th, 2016.

1. Mario Balotelli: “It remains something of a mystery how the volatile striker has had £59m spent on him in transfer fees. At Inter, Manchester City, AC Milan and now Liverpool, Balotelli has failed to completely fulfil his apparent potential, and generated more headlines for his antics off the pitch than for his performances on it.”

2. Robinho: “Another player who has commanded huge transfer fees but never quite delivered on his early promise. The Brazilian suffered probably the most disappointing spell of his career at Manchester City where, after arriving for £32m in September 2008 and making a good start at Eastlands, he faded badly and was shipped out on loan to Santos in January 2010. Now back on loan at Santos after an underwhelming few seasons with AC Milan.”

3. Radamel Falcao: “A player who has always seemed driven primarily by his next big pay packet, Falcao has performed so badly at Manchester United this season that he is likely to be sent back to Monaco. With just four goals in 22 appearances for Louis van Gaal’s side this campaign, following 11 in 20 games for Monaco in the weak French league last season, Falcao appears to be a player on the wane.”

4. Ibrahimovic: “No-one’s denying he’s excellent value with his ridiculous proclamations about himself, but is he actually as good as he thinks he is? No Champions League wins in his career and the fact that he hasn’t played in one of Europe’s top three leagues since leaving Barcelona for Milan in August 2010 suggest he may not quite be the phenomenon he claims to be.”

6. David Luiz: “The Brazilian defender’s likeability and penchant for ridiculous passes and pieces of technique often masks his limitations as a centre-back. Luiz is frequently found wanting defensively, most brutally during his country’s 7-0 defeat to Germany at the 2014 World Cup. Quite how Luiz has had £70m spent on him in transfer fees is anyone’s guess.”

7. Ezequiel Lavezzi: “Lavezzi runs around a lot and looks busy, but isn’t actually very good. He failed to score a single goal from six matches at the 2014 World Cup and has managed just four goals in 31 games for PSG this season. Yet somehow he is always linked with a big money move to the Premier League.”

8. Wesley Sneijder: “A mercurial talent who has been overlooked by the biggest clubs throughout his career – for the simple reason that he is not quite at the top level. An excellent World Cup in 2010 (in a tournament of desperately poor quality) made many think the Dutch schemer was better than he actually is; his current gig in the relative footballing wilderness of Galatasaray gives a more accurate reflection of his standing in the sport.”

9. Sergio Ramos: “Lucky to find himself playing for Spain in an era when their midfield was so dominant that defenders like Ramos could largely put their feet up and enjoy the spectacle. When Ramos is required to defend one on one, he is all too often rash in his decision making – as demonstrated by the 19 red cards he has picked up in La Liga, more than any other player.”

10. Jack Wilshere: “Hand on heart, how many really great Jack Wilshere moments can you remember? In truth, the Arsenal midfielder has too often flattered to deceive and yet still retains a reputation for being one of England’s best players. Surely he has to produce something soon to match his inflated reputation?”

11. Steven Gerrard: “Similar to Rooney, Gerrard should be regarded as a very good but not great player. For all the Roy of the Rovers moments (the 2005 Champions League final, the 2006 FA Cup final salvo), there have been the high-profile setbacks – the slip against Chelsea and the red cards, including against Manchester United last month.”

13. Adriano: “A ferocious left-footed shot and ability to score from miles out every so often does not a world class player make. Adriano had all the talent to be one of the best strikers in the world, but could never produce the goods on a consistent basis, and his occasional screamer shouldn’t mask what was overall a disappointing career.”

14. Wayne Rooney: “Let’s face it, if Rooney was as good as many in this country think he is, he’d have been snapped up by a Real Madrid or a Barcelona. The former Everton striker has definitely had his moments, but his poor goal return in major tournaments for England, coupled with just the one Champions League win, illustrate why he can’t be considered one of the game’s true greats.”

Our first Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program is coming to an end at our headquarters in Redwood City.

We had an amazing time hosting 20 Bay Area 10th and 11th graders in our newly-designed EA Lab for seven weeks while they learned more about computer science, web design and mobile development.

Each week, students were visited by a different EA presenter and spent 1:1 time with their EA mentor to learn more about what it’s like to pursue a technical career and get advice from women in the industry.

“I was surprised at the high quality of the program and how in depth the curriculum is for these girls,” said Kady Srinivasan, Senior Director, Network Engagement for EA Mobile and Girls Who Code mentor. “It was a great experience to spend time every week getting to know a bright, energetic young woman and hopefully have a positive impact on her future by sharing my own experiences pursuing a technical career. I believe that programming will be like learning any other language someday, so I told my mentee that she is getting a great head start on building her career!”

Of course, it’s not just about classroom time if you’re coming to EA every day. In addition to using our cafeterias, game rooms, weekly Club EA training and Friday BBQs, we wanted to make sure these students got the special EA treatment and met with many EA leaders. They were visited by our CEO Andrew Wilson and Chief Talent Officer Gabrielle Toledano, who was integral in bringing the program to our campus. Head of Maxis Lucy Bradshaw welcomed the students in their orientation and our Chief Technology Officer Ken Moss spoke to them during graduation.

And the most exciting? They had two field trips right on our campus. The first to visit GlassLab Games where they got to play a game in development and learned how to build games for a classroom setting. The second was with the The Sims 4 development team at Maxis. That’s right, the students not only got to tour the studio but they used their new skills to design and pitch ideas for an expansion pack. They also got to visit the Pogo team where they learned about game testing.

“The best part about hosting the Girls Who Code class was the opportunity to show them first-hand how they can apply the skills they’ve learned to a career in game development,” said Rachel Franklin, Executive Producer of The Sims 4. “I could see it really click, and some even had tears in their eyes they were so excited! Having a computer science degree myself and having been one of very few women in those classes, I’m very passionate about the need to encourage more young girls to pursue STEM. Bringing the students into The Sims environment was an opportunity that was just as memorable and impactful to me as it was to them.”

Want to see what it was like for the students? Take a look at this video that recaps the experience.

Learn more about Girls Who Code and how you can support their initiatives here.

Expected Women’s History Museum Unveiled As Tribute To Jack The Ripper

Earlier this week, feminist societies and women’s groups but also, understandably, the general public, were outraged to find that a proposed museum celebrating the historical women of East London and the suffragette movement was opened as an establishment dedicated to the life and crimes of Jack the Ripper. Not only were Londoners disappointed at the failure to celebrate the work of women, who are so rarely represented historically, but this “sick joke” actually replaced those plans with a venue commemorating a man who serial murdered female sex workers.

The site, just a few hundred metres from the Tower of London, was referenced in planning permission paperwork as “the only dedicated resource in the East End to women’s history” and approved by Tower Hamlets council earlier this year. So local residents were clueless about the change of plan until the second the front of the building was unveiled. Details of planning documents created last July actually included pictures of suffragettes and 1970s Asian women campaigning against racial murders around Brick Lane. Contracts stated “The museum will recognise and celebrate the women of the East End who have shaped history, telling the story of how they have been instrumental in changing society. It will analyse the social, political and domestic experience from the Victorian period to the present day.” The fact that this drastic change was not even mentioned up until the point of unveiling, suggests that even the owner and contractors were aware of firstly the controversy of their turnaround and secondly, the inevitable backlash that would develop. People have taken to Facebook and Twitter to express their anger and it has been reported that the Tower Hamlets mayor will boycott the museum from when it opens next Tuesday.

Film maker and Cable Street resident Julian Cole was quoted by The Guardian summarising the situation; “You propose a museum celebrating the achievements of women and then it turns out to be a museum celebrating London’s most notorious murderer of women. I don’t have any objections to a Jack the Ripper museum, it’s a commercial enterprise like the London Dungeon and Jack the Ripper walking tours, but what I’m miffed about is the fact that we seem to have been completely deceived, in a way that is rather unpleasant.” And his final comment, describing the development as “unpleasant” is particularly poignant, not only is it unpleasant to replace a much needed celebration of female lives with the celebration of violence against female sex workers, but it actually insults and degrades women.

Mark Palmer-Edgecumbe, a former diversity chief at Google and the man behind this venture, is blatantly telling women that the brutal murder of female sex workers is far more relevant and interesting than their stories and successes. London is packed with walks, tours, exhibitions, museums and general references to Jack the Ripper, Google alone can tell you his victims have provided half of the city’s tourist attractions. But if you wish to find an attraction celebrating or informing tourists on the female history of London, you may have your work cut out. An entire museum, small as it may have been, dedicated to the lives of East London women and the suffragette movement would have been the first of its kind. Considering how forcefully women have been pushed out of history, their stories left unrecorded and their feats quashed and deemed insignificant, it would have been a significant and necessary step forward into a present day that is beginning to understand the concerns and needs of marginalised genders.

Jemima Broadbridge, a London campaigner, pointed out that the Cable Street area is actually home to many activist groups and if anything “is known for Oscar Wilde and Charles Dickens not Jack the Ripper.” Resident Jenni Boswell-Jones added “I don’t think anybody in the area is against enterprise and somebody doing something new and exciting, but Jack the Ripper has nothing to do with Cable Street. Cable Street was the home of the anti-fascist march in 1936, that’s what it’s known for. The Ripper murders took place on Batty Street and the Spitalfields area.” We live in an era when activists are trying more than ever to reduce the encouragement of male violence. The media, including video games and films but also general misogynistic portrayal of women, is working against these groups and the continuous rise of lad culture has only added to a twisted perception of women. Women who are associated with sex work, or even those who are simply more sexually active than others and considered ‘easy’ or slut-shamed, are somehow perceived by patriarchal standards and rape culture as subhuman. People are led to believe that these women are inviting violence and degradation by the distortion of their portrayal within our society. So it follows that the least a London businessman can do is not clutch desperately at straws in the tourism industry and drag an unpleasant and exhausted piece of history from its geographical origins to an entirely irrelevant location for the sake of capital.

To make matters worse, Palmer-Edgecumbe attempted to excuse himself by claiming the museum would operate from the perspective of Jack the Ripper’s victims, explaining “It is absolutely not celebrating the crimes of Jack the Ripper but looking at why and how the women got in that situation in the first place.” He basically decided against plans to celebrate the massively unrepresented history of London women, replaced these plans with a celebration of gender and sex based violence before trying to justify it with the ultimate example of victim blaming. The fascination with crimes like this and the profit they allow creates a celebration of the most unpleasant parts of our history and gives longevity to misogyny and gender based violence. This is made even worse by the fact that victims of crimes like this are considered wholly or even partially to blame when that is never a valid point. The people who are working to modernise our society in such a way that women and sex workers in particular are no longer degraded in this way, are being held back by this focus on capitalism and androcentrism rather than historical representation.

150730 [Updated w/ SM Statement] Super Junior’s Choi Siwon Reported to Enlist in Army During Second Half of This Year

Soon after the announcement that Super Junior member Choi Siwon has been confirmed to star in the upcoming MBC drama “She Was Pretty,” an exclusive report by Ilgan Sports has revealed that he is planning to begin his military service later this year, with “She Was Pretty” possibly being his last project.

A broadcast insider is reported to have said, “Choi Siwon is preparing to enlist in the army during the second half of this year, although the exact time frame has not been decided yet. He has a healthy body and has always expressed his strong willingness to serve as an active duty soldier.”

The source continued, “Siwon will work hard and wrap up the MBC Wednesday-Thursday drama ‘She Was Pretty,’ which begins airing in September, before enlisting.”

If his enlistment is confirmed, this will make Siwon the seventh member of Super Junior to carry out his military service.

Are you sad to hear this news?

UPDATE:

On July 30, a representative of SM Entertainment responded to the reports of Siwon’s possible enlistment: “Nothing has been confirmed yet. We are currently coordinating the time frame. At this time, filming for the drama ‘She Was Pretty” is more important. Once the production ends, a more definite plan [for enlistment] will be set.”